Third: The contractor buys the materials. We get them at a better rate and customers really don't know what they are getting into by being a material racer. Once again, I'm not referring to the guys that paint a bedroom or 2 a week. Tell the homeowner to go grab 50 gallons of paint, $300.00 worth of sundries and related job cost items and I'd be interested to see how it works for them....IT WILL NOT. And if were talking about people getting taken advantage of here, the paint suppliers with no relationship to a homeowner will 100% GOUGE the customer and completely take advantage of them with pricing. Contractors will pay nearly half the price and will still save the customers money marking up paint 10-15%.
This feared question gets to the heart of who will be performing work in your home and whether your home and belongings will be safe. Sadly, there have been numerous documented cases around the country where employees of a hired contractor have burglarized, injured, or even killed the homeowner. What’s worse, in most cases it was later found that the bad employee had a criminal background that was unknown to the employer. In learning about who will be performing the work in your home, you should ask additional questions about their hiring policy and whether they conduct criminal background checks.
Some contractors work on time and material others on a firm contract. I would never hire the former and am leary of the latter. A contractor may low-ball a bid to get the job planning to make a killing on change orders. If you say good morning to them, they charge you extra for that. If the contract is not very, very specific and extensively fleshed out or if they display their change order schedule prominently on top, show them the door.
Oh my god! How happy am I right now? SO happy! Why? 'Cause my house looks AMAAAAAZING (imagine a falsetto voice here). Why does it look amazing? Because Josh and Garcia just left. Seriously people. My house looked abandoned. It probably hadn't been painted in a hundred years. Okay, that's an exaggeration since it was built in '53...but take my word for it. It looked seriously crappy. I had this project bid three years ago and then something else came up. At the time, Ryan came out and he was super nice - WAY nicer than the other people. Several didn't even bother to show up. A few months ago I e-mailed Ryan, he updated the bid for me within a day and we were off! David was great. Super communicative and responsive about the schedule and what was happening. I was also having a few windows installed and they were super great about adjusting their effort to work around the window people. And Josh and Garcia - I can't say enough about those guys. Josh walked around with me on the first day, going over what was happening and making sure I understood the scope of work. Anytime anything came up, he chatted with me about to make sure I was in the loop. The job site was always tidy and the place was really clean when they left. They were both friendly, courteous, and professional. And I think my four month old puppy would have been happy to go home with Josh. That ungrateful little monkey! (The puppy, not Josh). Anyway, I would highly recommend them for any paint job you have going on.

If your home was built before 1978, there is a good chance that lead paint was used in its construction. Scraping, sanding, or removing old paint can release toxic lead dust which can cause serious illness in children and pregnant women. Special handling is required when working with lead-based paints. If lead paint is present in your home, you will need to hire a lead-certified painting contractor or lead abatement contractor. Before getting started with your exterior painting project, consult your local building authority or visit www.epa.gov for more information.

Specify whether the contractor or you will supply the paint. Check Consumer Reports' paint ratings: In its tests, some relatively inexpensive paints performed better than more expensive paints and cost $10 to $20 less per gallon. But keep in mind that most paints will resist cracking, peeling, mold and mildew. Who does the painting — and how well they do it — is more important than what's in the bucket.

Before we start, you will have to choose your color. If you would like to replicate a color already on your wall, you can use an old can of paint for reference, or you can take a chip to the paint store. We can help you identify the color, the finish, and type of paint with our visualizer tools, and we also offer a Color Consulting Service if you need help coming to a decision.
At Handy, we know that your time is valuable, whether you're a busy professional or a hardworking parent looking after the kids. We won't expect you to take a slice out of your day waiting for your house painting services to arrive. Book an interior painting professional through the Handy platform and you can choose when they arrive. Rest assured that they'll turn up on time, every time.
A Touch of Color Painting is a local, premium house painting contractor. ATOC delivers craftsmanship that is second to none! We offer full service, interior and exterior painting services. We have served over 900 clients in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Durham and surrounding areas. Contact us if you're looking for painting professionals that are masters of the trade. All our projects are guaranteed with one of the best warranties in the business!

Estimates are one of the most important tools to help you land the next job. During our most recent webinar series on estimating, Fred Yarur of PEP (Painter’s Estimating Program) outlined 10 foundational principles to support effective estimating procedures. Use estimate tools. These enhance your ability to make informed decisions. Estimating is the process of […]

Ask companies to include all details in writing. Although that sounds simple enough, too many contractors submit offers such as "paint house for $5,000." A friendly contractor may offer a reassuring handshake and promise that the crew will take care of all the details — starting on time, working every day, cleaning up, etc. That's great, but why not include each point in the proposal? If it's a challenge to get a written description of labor, materials and other details, things will probably get worse when the work starts.
Not only did they paint our home- they also helped reattach a drain pipe that had partially come off the home, removed a small bee or wasps nest hanging off a side of the roof (this was SO nice of them and totally unexpected), and painted over some railings that were in serious need of TLC but were not included in our quote (we didn't ask for them to be painted when James came to meet with us). David asked my husband first about the railings and only painted them when he gave them the okay- it looks so much better and we appreciated this so much! While the painters were working we also had a termite inspection and contractor come over to look at something in the kitchen- David's team had no problem with this and were very accommodating.
This is another reason why you should always hire contractors who have employees and not those who use subcontractors. If the company you hire uses only subs to paint, they have no control over the training those subs receive. However, even if you choose a contractor with employees, this does not guarantee that those employees receive training. The sad fact is that training just isn’t in the budget for most contractors.
There are cases where apartment complexes allow you to choose from a color wheel of neutral hues before you move in. Some charge a fee for calling in a painter to do the walls, while others offer new paint as a benefit of moving in. If you're not a fan of neutral colors, consider looking for an apartment that allows you to paint the walls a more expressive tone. Otherwise you can invest in boldly colored furniture and posters.
When you refinish your existing cabinet doors, you get a whole new look without the astronomical costs normally associated with a kitchen remodel. It’s a much smarter way to update your space, especially if your cabinets are still in good condition. It doesn’t make sense to throw out perfectly good materials, just because you’re tired of the color.